May 19, 2014

Cross Steps in the Early Foxtrot

Rounding out my littleminiseries celebrating the centennial of the first burst of popularity for the foxtrot, here's another pair of variations from Edna Stuart Lee's Thirty Fox Trot Steps (New York, 1916) that each feature a moment when one foot crosses over the other.

The "Side Swing" starts with the usual four walking steps, followed by a pair of quick-quick-slow moves. The first quick-quick-slow moves diagonally forward to the left (back to the right for the lady), but instead of being a two-step, the sequence is step forward - cross in front - step forward. The second quick-quick-slow is an actual two-step, done to the right, with my preference being for a slight diagonal angle rather than directly out toward the wall of the room. Here's the gentleman's step sequence:

The lady dances opposite, as usual, with one major exception. Whether she crosss behind or in front on the cross step is not specified by Lee, but experimentation with both options leads me to believe that a front cross, mirroring the gentleman, is the most likely. While leading her into a back cross is certainly possible, and not particularly difficult in the context of this variation, it makes a full back step after the cross less natural; the tendency is to just close the feet instead. Having both partners cross in front works more smoothly and provides a nice contrast to the following two-step.

Lee commended this step to dancers as "producing a swaying motion that relieves the monotony of the forward movement". She also suggested that it could be danced as a variation for the one-step by making the running steps of equal length to the walking steps. This produces an odd nine-beat sequence that shifts the lead foot relative to the musical beat:

The Side Swing is entirely leadable for good dancers, even if the follower has never previously tried it.

The more romantically named "Chaplin Trot" features a long walk-trot sequence (four slow steps and eight quick steps) followed by a fast cross and side-to-side hesitation as follows:

1234 Four walking steps (starting left)1&2&3&4 Seven trotting steps (starting left)& Cross right foot over left 1&2 Step side left, side right, and draw left foot to right without weight

Once again the lady dances opposite except on the cross step, where she also crosses in front. The final quick-quick-slow moves perpendicular to the line of dance, the couple stepping first toward the center of the room and then toward the wall, closing the free foot without weight. To lead the "without weight" part, the gentleman should simply keep his weight firmly on the right foot, or even sway just slightly toward the right. A good follower will pick this up without ever having danced the sequence before.

The final side-side-close (effectively a hesitation, since the dancers make no forward progress for two beats) feels vaguely similar to the box step, which is a legitimate move for 1910s foxtrot. But I would not recommend teaching the Chaplin Trot in combination with the box step to newer dancers. The close without weight in this sequence will sow confusion, since in the box step dancers close with weight during the final side-close.

Lee described the step as a good one for "young couples desiring plenty of action and a touch of the spectacular" -- evidently her threshhold for spectacle was somewhat lower than mine -- and notes, accurately, that it is "an excellent ground gainer".

Special thanks to Irene for dance-testing the foxtrot variations for this miniseries!